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Objective: As part of its ongoing effort to combat stigma against mental illness among healthcare providers, the Mental Health Commission of Canada partnered with organizations conducting anti-stigma interventions. Our objective was to evaluate program effectiveness and to better understand what makes some programs more effective than others. Our paper reports the elements of these programs found to be most strongly associated with favourable outcomes. Methods: Our study employed a multi-phased, mixed-methods design. First, a grounded theory qualitative study was undertaken to identify key program elements. Next, each program (n = 22) was coded according to the presence or absence of the identified key program ingredients. Then, random-effects, meta-regression modelling was used to examine the association between program outcomes and the key ingredients. Results: The qualitative analysis led to a 6-ingredient model of key program elements. Results of the quantitative analysis showed that programs that Included all 6 of these ingredients performed significantly better than those that did not. Individual analyses of each of the 6 ingredients showed that including multiple forms of social contact and emphasizing recovery were characteristics of the most effective programs. Conclusions: The results provide a validation of a 6-ingredient model of key program elements for anti-stigma programming for health care providers. Emphasizing recovery and including multiple types of social contact are of particular importance for maximizing the effectiveness of anti-stigma programs for health care providers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Epidemiologic studies have confirmed that major depression (MD) is an extremely common condition, but also one that is associated with an unexpectedly broad spectrum of morbidity. It is no longer a tenable position to regard MD as being a simple indicator of treatment need, nor is a one-size-fits-all approach to treatment likely to be an effective guide to health care delivery. The objective of this commentary is to explore the implications of these new epidemiologic findings for policy and practice in Canada.Method: This paper is a selective review and commentary.Results: Whereas the acute and long-term treatment needs of a subset of individuals with MD have received much attention in the literature, the needs of other groups have not. A sizable proportion of individuals with episodes meeting the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-fourth edition definition in community populations may not need the intensive treatment emphasized by current Canadian practice guidelines. The strategy of watchful waiting may have a role in primary care. On the policy front, guided and perhaps self-guided management strategies deserve greater emphasis than they have received. Stepped-care strategies are an appealing option, but how best to effectively implement these in the Canadian context is unclear.Conclusions: The spectrum of morbidity among individuals with MD in community populations is much wider than has been previously appreciated. The health system should respond with an appropriate spectrum of services, but many questions remain about how to facilitate this. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is time to move beyond education about qualitative research theory and methods to using them to understand and improve psychiatric practice. There is a good fit between this agenda and current thinking about research use that broadens definitions of evidence beyond the results of experiments. This paper describes a qualitative program evaluation to illustrate what kind of useful knowledge is generated and how it can be created through a clinician-researcher partnership. The linkage and exchange model of effective knowledge translation described involves interaction between clinicians and researchers throughout the research process and results in mutual learning through the planning, disseminating, and application of existing or new qualitative research in decision making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Publicly funded cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) for mental disorders is scarce in Canada, despite proven efficacy and guidelines recommending its use. This paper reviews published data on the economic impact of CBT to inform recommendations for current Canadian mental health care funding policy.Method: We searched the literature for economic analyses of CBT in the treatment of mental disorders.Results: We identified 22 health economic studies involving CBT for mood, anxiety, psychotic, and somatoform disorders. Across health care settings and patient populations, CBT alone or in combination with pharmacotherapy represented acceptable value for health dollars spent, with CBT costs offset by reduced health care use.Conclusions: International evidence suggests CBT is cost-effective. Greater access to CBT would likely improve outcomes and result in cost savings. Future research is warranted to evaluate the economic impact of CBT in Canada. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Studies suggest that non-European immigrants to Canada tend to under use mental health services, compared with Canadian-born people. Social, cultural, religious, linguistic, geographic, and economic variables may contribute to this underuse. This paper explores the reasons for underuse of conventional mental health services in a community sample of immigrants with identified emotional and somatic symptoms. Method: Fifteen West Indian immigrants in Montreal with somatic symptoms and (or) emotional distress, not currently using mental health services, participated in a face-to-face in-depth interview exploring health care use. Interviews were analyzed thematically to discern common factors explaining reluctance to use services. Results: Across participants' narratives, we identified 3 significant factors explaining their reluctance to use mental health services. First, there was a perceived overwillingness of doctors to rely on pharmaceutical medications as interventions. Second, participants perceived a dismissive attitude and lack of time from physicians in previous encounters that deterred their use of current health service. Third, many participants reported a belief in the curative power of nonmedical interventions, most notably God and to a lesser extent, traditional folk medicine. Conclusion: The above factors may highlight important areas for intervention to reduce disparities in immigrant use of mental health care. We present our framework as a model, grounded in empirical data, that further research can explore. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Major depression makes an important contribution to disease burden in Canada. In principle, the burden of major depression can be reduced by the provision of treatment within the health care system. In a previous data analysis, the National Population Health Survey (NPHS) reported an increase in antidepressant (AD) use between 1994 and 1998. In this paper, the analysis is extended to 2000, and additional aspects of health care utilization are described.Methods: The NPHS provides a unique source of longitudinal data concerning major depression and its treatment in Canada. In this survey, probable cases of major depression were identified using a brief predictive instrument; health care utilization was evaluated using additional survey items; and the latest data release from Statistics Canada (that is, 2000) was used to make weighted estimates of the frequency of health care utilization in relation to major depression status.Results: The use of ADs has continued to escalate. These increases have been largest in men and in persons aged under 35 years. There has been an increase in polypharmacy: in 2000, almost 9% of persons taking an AD reported taking more than 1 AD medication-a tripling since 1994. The frequency of consultations with alternative practitioners has also grown. Although the overall proportion of persons with major depression who report consulting with health professionals about their mental health has not increased, the number of persons with major depressive disorder reporting 6 or more visits to nurses, social workers, and psychologists may have.Conclusion: The provision of AD treatment continues to expand in Canada. This probably represents a changing pattern of practice, because the frequency of professional consultation has not increased. More detailed data are required to evaluate the extent to which treatment needs are being met. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article comments on the paper which discusses the partnership between psychiatry and public health system to ensure addiction care in Canada. The author mentions the need to reassess the role of psychiatrist to achieve successful outcomes in resolving the prevalence of addiction. He states the significance of financial support in encouraging psychiatrists to assume the responsibility and accountability for the prevention and care of addiction. Furthermore, the author stresses that physicians, including psychiatrists, should develop emphatic relationship with addiction sufferers to initiate effective treatment of addiction.

The article comments on the paper which discusses the implication of societal domains on the treatment of addiction in Canada. The author contemplates on the disciplines concerning the prevention and care of addictions as well as the allocation of treatment resources. He stresses the significance of addiction medicine in dealing with the management of addiction. Furthermore, the author believes that the collaborative efforts among those in public health, addiction medicine, and mental health services may be the best option to initiate addiction care for Canadians.